{
  "id": 2625033,
  "title": "‘iPhone is not your identity’: Shehzad Poonawalla’s advice to youth after Maharashtra teen, family die in hill fall",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/iphone-is-not-your-identity-shehzad-poonawallas-advice-to-youth-after",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T17:33:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iphone-is-not-your-identity-shehzad-poonawalla-s-advice-to-youth-after-maharashtra-teen-family-die-in-hill-fall-101787418791432.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shehzad Poonawalla, a BJP leader, has spoken out about the tragic deaths of a 19-year-old boy and his parents in Maharashtra after a dispute over a mobile phone purchased on an EMI (equated monthly installment) plan. Poonawalla criticized the incident, highlighting the pressure to own expensive products and maintain lifestyles that may be beyond one's means. He questioned whether the iPhone, a brand, a possession, or a status symbol, holds more importance than one's identity. The tragedy occurred when Kunal, the deceased teenager, climbed a hill and threatened to take his own life after an argument with his parents over the EMI payments for the iPhone. The family's desperate attempts to persuade him to step away, including his father's attempt to save him, ultimately led to all three of them falling and dying from the height. Poonawalla emphasized the importance of keeping aspirations rooted in reality and warned against letting possessions define one's self-worth. He urged young people to understand their family's financial circumstances and not view being told \"no\" as an attack on their independence or a sign of missing out on something better.",
  "summary": "His comments came after a 19-year-old boy died along with his parents at Khavdya Dongar in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Friday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}